Lyudmila Yanukovych: from housewife to Ukraine’s first lady

On February 25, housewife Lyudmila Yanukovych became Ukraine’s new first lady.

According to Deputy Chairman of the Party of Regions Anna German, the deputy chief of staff for Viktor Yanukovych, the newly elected Ukrainian president’s wife will be a real “people’s” first lady. “She will not hire expensive Western stylists and turn herself into some kind of puppet. She will be what she is, and that deserves respect.” Pictured: Viktor Yanukovych with his wife, Lyudmila.

Viktor Yanukovych met his wife 40 years ago, at a metallurgical plant, when a brick fell on Lyudmila’s leg and gasman Yanukovych rushed to help her. They were married three years later. Pictured: Viktor and Lyudmila Yanukovych with their son Alexander in 1985

The new Ukrainian president has two sons: Alexander and Viktor.

In the 2004 presidential race, Lyudmila Yanukovych campaigned for her husband, but has had any involvement in politics since then.

Viktor Yanukovych often says that his wife pays more attention to her grandchildren than to her husband and his career.

Lyudmila Yanukovych spends most of her time in Donetsk and is engaged in charitable activities. She rarely appears in public.

Many fashion designers note that Lyudmila Yanukovich (left) prefers simple clothes, suggesting this is an expression of her desire to stay in the background. Pictured: Viktor Yanukovych with his family.

Political analysts do not exclude the possibility that the new president’s wife will not accompany him on foreign visits. Pictured: Then-Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, with Lyudmila, at a polling station in Kiev during the 2007 snap elections to Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada.

The newspapers say that during his time as prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych almost always visited foreign countries alone, without his wife. Then-Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, with Lyudmila, at a polling station in Kiev during the 2007 snap elections to Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada.

Political analysts believe that Lyudmila Yanukovych is not yet used to appearing in public, and that she will find her first year as first lady difficult.